GovernmentNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94GovernmentWed, 17 Aug 2016 00:06:10 +0000Governmenthttp://wesa.fm
Katie MeyerPennsylvania plans to use a $250,000 federal grant to spend more than a year studying options for paid family leave programs. The grant comes from money the federal Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau awarded to several states and cities to look into how paid family leave impacts workers and businesses. Department of Labor and Industry Secretary, Kathy Manderino, said the state doesn’t yet have concrete plans for what it will do with the data. “I do think that good information is a starting point,” she said. “The goal is to have policies that support workers and businesses in Pennsylvania, but there’s no predetermined outcome at this point.” According to Manderino, the study will focus on a wide range of permutations on paid leave programs, including maternity and paternity, and medical leave. She said a statewide program could potentially help an estimated 2.9 million Pennsylvanians. The commonwealth already has a paid family leave program for state employees. A Federal Grant Is Letting PA Look Into Paid Family Leavehttp://wesa.fm/post/federal-grant-letting-pa-look-paid-family-leave
69684 as http://wesa.fmTue, 16 Aug 2016 05:45:00 +0000A Federal Grant Is Letting PA Look Into Paid Family LeaveMarc Levy | Associated Press Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf says he's hoping to finish a budget deal for the half-finished fiscal year before he delivers a spending proposal for the year starting next July 1. Wolf Still Hopes For Budget Deal As Next Proposal Nearshttp://wesa.fm/post/wolf-still-hopes-budget-deal-next-proposal-nears
59714 as http://wesa.fmThu, 14 Jan 2016 20:51:29 +0000Wolf Still Hopes For Budget Deal As Next Proposal NearsErika Beras Two new pieces of legislation aim to offer improvements to the lives of the nearly 15,000 foster children in Pennsylvania. Act 75 of 2015 and House Bill 1603 came about a result of the 2014 federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, which mandated that every state had until Jan. 1, 2016 to pass laws that would help foster youth. The laws are intended to give youths in the foster system more of a sense of normalcy, said Jennifer Pokempner, supervising attorney at the Juvenile Law Center, an organization that works in this field. She said it will most help the 700-800 young adults who age out of Pennsylvania’s foster care system annually. “We’ve been making improvements in Pennsylvania and across the country in serving them but we need to do much more and I think this law is going to really help in exposing them to more of the experiences, relationships, skill-building experiences that are going to make that transition to adulthood more successful for them,” sheTwo Bills Aim To Improve Lives Of PA's Foster Children http://wesa.fm/post/two-bills-aim-improve-lives-pas-foster-children
58786 as http://wesa.fmMon, 28 Dec 2015 10:22:00 +0000Two Bills Aim To Improve Lives Of PA's Foster Children Michael LynchTrust in the state and federal governments have hit “historically low levels,” according to the Robert Morris University Polling Institute. Of the 1,004 voters and nonvoters polled across the country following the November 2014 election, 21.7 percent said they trusted the federal government, while 20.3 percent said they had confidence in the state. Local governments were seen as the most trustworthy with about 40 percent approval. “Pollsters have been asking questions about trust in government for decades and it’s been typically below 50 percent,” Political Science Professor Philip Harold said. But according to Harold, the ratings have never been this poor. “The numbers improved in the ’90s under Bill Clinton and reached the 50 percent level,” he said. “But under President George W. Bush and President Obama, it’s really gone down to these historically low levels.” But trust doesn’t seem to matter when voters cast their ballots. According to the poll, about 65 percent of respondentsSurvey Finds Trust in Government 'Can't Get Much Lower'http://wesa.fm/post/survey-finds-trust-government-cant-get-much-lower
41449 as http://wesa.fmWed, 07 Jan 2015 20:53:44 +0000Survey Finds Trust in Government 'Can't Get Much Lower'Essential PittsburghSince its creation over 50 years ago, the Peace Corps has been sending Americans overseas. Volunteers are sent to countries where their work can make a difference in the lives of others. However, applications for the Peace Corps are at an all time low. Karen Corey, a recruiter for Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, talks about changes the Peace Corps is making to the application process, in order to attract more volunteers. Corey says there are three main changes to the application process to make it easier to enroll. The first step was making the initial online application easier. “The actual application used to take about eight hours to fill out. What we’ve done is we’ve looked at the application again, we’ve thought about ‘what do we really know from our applicants right up front?’ We’re only asking for that most essential information, so now the application really only takes about an hour. We’re trying to eliminate the application itself as a barrier to Peace Corps service.” Peace Corps to Revamp Application Processhttp://wesa.fm/post/peace-corps-revamp-application-process
32946 as http://wesa.fmMon, 21 Jul 2014 21:16:22 +0000Peace Corps to Revamp Application ProcessKatie MartinIn the early hours of Sunday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would continue to fund the federal government. Essentially this bill does three things: it temporarily keeps government operations funded through the middle of December, delays the affordable care act for a year and it repeals a tax on medical devices as part of the health care law.Sen. Casey on Looming Government Shutdownhttp://wesa.fm/post/sen-casey-looming-government-shutdown
17382 as http://wesa.fmMon, 30 Sep 2013 21:33:02 +0000Sen. Casey on Looming Government ShutdownMichael LynchThe newest member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is scheduled to be sworn in July 30th. Gov. Tom Corbett’s nominee, Correale Stevens, was confirmed by the Senate on a 50-0 vote on June 30, returning the court to a four-to-three Republican majority and filling the vacant seat left by the resignation of Justice Joan Orie Melvin. The 66-year-old judge from Luzerne County will serve through 2016 — the end of Melvin’s term. Judge Kate Ford Elliott, who has worked with Stevens for more than 15 years on the Superior Court, said Stevens has a knack for getting people to work together. “It’s very important to maintain a collegiality and an ability to have your colleagues talk to one another, work out difficult legal issues together and also various administrative matters,” Elliott said. “And I believe he’s done a very good job. I think he’ll bring all of that to the Supreme Court, which I think will be very important.” Stevens received his undergraduate degree from Penn State and his J.D. atNew State Supreme Court Justice to Be Sworn Inhttp://wesa.fm/post/new-state-supreme-court-justice-be-sworn
12733 as http://wesa.fmMon, 22 Jul 2013 07:30:00 +0000New State Supreme Court Justice to Be Sworn In